


Pack Street: Laying Down The Law

by MoochyMunchkin



Series: Pack Street Fandom [2]
Category: Pack Street - Fandom, Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Duty, Fanwork of Fanwork, Gen, Homage, Pack Dynamics, Wolf Pack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2016-10-02
Packaged: 2018-08-19 02:42:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8186273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoochyMunchkin/pseuds/MoochyMunchkin
Summary: For most mammals in Zootopia, the nightmare of the Nighthowler serum is over. For Remmy Cormo, member of the sheep species, it might just be beginning. For the last year or so, he's been a resident of a formerly pred-only neighbourhood. From awkward beginnings as the butt of many jokes to his current status as mostly accepted member of pred society, Remmy's life has found an odd new stability, an island of calm in a sea of change. And now Bellweather's finally not only arrested, but charged and convicted, with the scope of her nefarious scheme brought to light, being a sheep in a pred-only neighbourhood sounds like even worse of an idea than it had when he'd accidentally done just that. But things aren't so black and white. They never are.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'm kind of uncomfortable about this one, because Weaver's works have a theme and a flow, showing a definite change in character and behaviour of the main character, namely Remmy, and I feel this might be stepping on his toes, since it places the happenings in Pack Street in a definite timeline (rather than ambiguously around the same era), and plays with the setting in a way that could be construed to be "fiddling with the playground equipment". It changes things, puts a pin the map, and Weaver may not appreciate somebody messing with something so fundamental to the saga he's writing.
> 
> Please consider this entirely non-canon (not that it could be anything else), and enjoy it for it is, a meaningless little ditty that might have parts that make you breathe heavily through your nose.

 

***

You don’t expect camaraderie from a herd. Herds just kind of… follow along. There is no ‘I’ in team, and all that bull. The point of a herd is to be lost in it. Packs aren’t like that. Packs look after their own.

That’s part of why I was so nervous when I first came to live out here on Pack Street. A sheep without a herd is just mutton that’s still walking — that’s what I told myself, at least. I guess I still believe that. But I don’t feel like mutton.

Those pups from a few apartments down have got the fire hydrant open again, they’re rolling around in the puddles getting good and muddy, making the most of the late afternoon sun. It’s ‘early morning’ for me, guess it kind of was for them, too. They even try their luck at howling, but they haven’t really got the lungs for it yet. I chuckle, and take a sip from my now-warm soda before placing the almost-empty can down on the apartment steps I’m sitting on.

“‘Ey WB,” calls Ozzy from over in his lounger, “you seem to be missing something.”

I glance over at the hyena curiously, head cocked. “What’s that, Ozzy?”

“The stick, ‘bout five nine, last seen wedged right up your backside. You’ve totally lost it.”

I snorted. Once upon a time, that would’ve fired me up something awful, but like last season’s fleece, I’ve shorn most of that dead weight away. “Guess I have, Ozzy.” I drained the beverage, then nodded at his cooler, “got another?”

“Sure thing, Bully.” Ozzy cackled. I’ve learned to gauge his laughter. There’s the nervous laughter when he’s tense, the tight hurting laughter when he doesn’t know how to do anything else, and then there’s the honest to goodness cackle of a hyena in high spirits. That’s what I hear now as he lobs me another can.

Opening it, I muse how things hadn’t always been like this. It seemed such a short time ago, too, when things had been worse. Far, far worse. And then, of course, they’d got worse than that.

***

“...Former AssistantMayor Bellweather was convicted earlier today in court, downtown Zootopia, for her part in last year’s Nighthowler Plot, as the incidents of mammals going savage through midnicampum holicithias poisoning have come to be known. This was the closing chapter in a dark saga—”

I turned off the television after a few minutes, dropping the remote as I just sat there in the dark on my ratty sofa, mouth open and unfinished beer in my hoof. I’d have to move out, of course. The others, they wouldn’t want me around them now they’d heard the whole story, of how the assistant mayor turning acting mayor roped in cohorts in a Zootopia-wide honest-to-Frith conspiracy to not only turn back the clock on predator-prey relations, but blow a hole in the whole damned pact. They’d found experimental TAME collars — shock collars designed to electrocute misbehaving predators — in some workshops on City Hall payroll and emails detailing exactly how Bellweather would ram through the necessary law changes to get them put into place. They’d found a distribution ring, money laundering, the whole nine yards. And at every single level were sheep.

It didn’t help I’d spun the occasional ‘sheariners secretly run the world’ joke on the surprisingly gullible Marty. Oh _mutton chops_ , would he think that misdirection? Would they all be stomping up here to eject me from the premises or..?

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

I jumped, bleating. “Ju-just a minute!” I could feel my heart leaping out of my chest. The room seemed to spin as I hyperventilated. I curled up instinctively into a ball on the sofa, rocking back and forth. I hadn’t realized it’d be so quick. Would they just use fists or would somebody bring a hoofball bat?

There was an awkward noise from the door, followed by the sounds of the lock unlatching. The door swung open, but I was too busy cowering down on the sofa to find out why, though there were only three people I knew of that could open my door besides myself; Charlie — who’d apparently stolen a key, or made a copy, or… whatever, she had a key — Al who sometimes acted as building super and had the master key — come to think of it, Charlie probably fingered herself that one and had a copy made — and then there was—

“Hey yarnball, have you seen—” Betty called out, straightening up as she put her claws away from picking the lock.

“Yes! I swear it’s not my fault! I had nothing to do with it! I just—”

“Oh, good, can you send her down then, Al’s been right up my tail about—”

“What?”

“Wait what?”

“I don’t…”

Betty sighed. “Cripes I don’t have time for this. Woolly, if you see Charlie, send her to Al, okay? I heard through Avo that Al was gonna have to have words or something. Probably that sneak thief was… and stop jerking off the in dark, mutton-butt, you’ll go blind.”

“I wasn’t—”

Betty sniffed, twice, nose wrinkling in disgust. “And open a window or something, would you? Smells like week old bugburga in here, it’s starting to stick to your wool, you’ll stink up the whole complex. I have enough trouble walking past those two damned aardwolves’ apartment as it is. Don’t need you picking up their bad habits.”

“Sure, sure,” I said, sitting slowly upright, quivering in the sofa’s indent.

Betty paused, eyes narrowing. “Hey, Remmy?”

“Y-yes?” I replied hesitantly, not looking up.

“You… you okay?”

“Yes?” I replied, even more unsure. I heard Betty’s pawsteps as she padded across the room. She threw open the blinds onto what was, I had to say, a beautiful afternoon, and turned around with her forepaws on her hips then glared down at me.

“Alright, wannabite, what’s wrong this time?”

Silently, miserably, I picked up the remote then switched the TV back on. It blared to life on an extended puff piece about the ex-mayor, the nighthowler serum, the antidote and the dynamic duo of that rabbit cop and her fox partner — the latter very recently graduated from the academy, apparently — who had cracked the whole case wide open. Explosively so. Those heroic jerks had cost me several paypackets and a shitty job when they’d shut down the transport system after blowing up a ‘howler lab hidden in a train all over downtown.

I pointed morosely at the screen, unable to speak, and just gesticulated wordlessly.

“What, you think because you’re a sheep, that we think you had anything to do with those lowlife grazers? That the cops are just gonna roll up outside and arrest you? You—”

Sometimes life just _loves_ to kick you in the balls. Betty’s words faltered as outside, a heavy cruiser ground to a stop in front of the building.

 _WHEOO-WHEOOOOO_ — the sirens blared one last time before the doors on said cruiser opened once, twice and then slammed closed. Again, once, twice.

“Well twist my nipples and call my Clarice,” said Betty, wrinkling her nose up as she leaned out the window. “I guess they _are_ gonna just roll up outside and arrest you.”

“WHAT!?” I shouted. The hyperventilating was back, and now despite my shorn status, I was feeling very hot and sweaty, when I wasn’t coming out in a cold flush.

“Yep, two officers. Look’s like they mean business.”

_Please don’t be them, please don’t be them…_

“And hey, it’s that bunny cop! And the fox. Well I never, they really did hire a fox. Come on, yarnball, I’m not going down for harbouring a fugitive.”

I nodded dumbly as I got up from the sofa. There really wasn’t anything here I’d miss, and since I hadn’t paid rent this month it’d probably just be cleaner to skip all that and just move out. I sniffed, wiping a hoof across my eyes. I was surprised to realize I’d kind of miss this place.

“I wonder what tipped them off?” sniggered Betty, rolling her eyes. Actually, she had a point, what _were_ those coppers doing here? _I_ know I didn’t have anything to do with those sheep, even if everyone else didn’t…

***

“Stop right there! This is a… a citizen’s arrest!”

Charlie froze, halfway to the door, as the rabbit that had been standing at the counter turned and leaped towards her.

“What? What? I didn’t do nuffin.”

“You were attempting to exit the store without paying. Last I checked that was called stealing. And as a police officer, I don’t approve of it.”

“As an _off duty_ police officer, you mean?” asked Dora, massive Bengal tigress and long-time shop-owner, patiently, from behind the counter.

“The law is never off duty! Sit down, don’t make me chase you!” The rabbit wagged a finger at the corsac fox, nose twitching furiously.

Dora took a deep breath. “Charlie, sit down. I’ll deal with this.”

Charlie sat, looking angrily at the apparently off duty bunny officer.

“Look, what is it you think Charlie over there has done?” asked Dora, turning to the bunny, who was already chatting on her cellphone.

“...Yes, that’s right, the one down off Pack Street. Blacked out windows and door.” The rabbit put her phone down. “Officer Judy Hopps, off duty, at your service,” Judy said to Dora finally, smiling.

“Did you just call the police?” the tiger asked, grinning.

“Indeed I did.” Judy’s ears de-perked ever so slightly.

“On your cellphone.” The tiger’s grin widened.

“Correct,” Judy continued, ears continuing to droop.

Dora sighed. “You’re making a big mistake, you know.”

“Yes I… what?” Now Judy’s ears were flat behind her as if large weights were attached to the tips.

“Charlie here wasn’t stealing at all, were you, Charlie?”

“N-no?” Charlie looked up at Dora before answering, her head slowly turning left to right. Judy’s eyes narrowed as she glared at first Charlie and then back at Dora, who was also moving her head left to right.

“Charlie here was just picking up some supplies for Al. That’s right, isn’t it, Charlie? Al’ll agree with me, won’t he, that you’re going to pay for those just as soon as you get your paycheck in, right?”

“I… of course I will. You know me.” Charlie sat up a bit straighter. “I’m good for it.”

There was the sound of a ZPD police cruiser pulling up outside and the single THUNK of a door closing before the doorbell rang to announce a new occupant to the store.

“See, so all of this unpleasantness could have been avoided, off duty Officer Hopps, if you’d just let me explain.”

“What unpleasantness?” asked a new voice as a slack-uniformed fox officer strode confidently into the store.

“Nick!” Dora exclaimed in surprise. “Long time no see. I must say, you still look good in uniform.”

“ _Still_?” asked Judy, ears perking up in confusion.

“Ah-haa, Dora! What is it, ten years?”

“Give or take, Nick. Time’s been good to you, though I guess movie stars don’t age like the rest of us.”

“Movie stars?” spluttered Judy. “When were you in a—”

“Oh you’ve hardly changed yourself since I came in for those signings.”

“ _Signings!?”_ squawked Judy.

“I was just explaining to our mutual acquaintance Judy here that it’s all a big misunderstanding,” said Dora, obliviously, “and that if she’d just let me explain about our Charlie over here, the whole messy issue of why your partner is in an adult toy shop whilst off duty could have been avoided. But now that she’s called the police, I’m sure there’ll be paperwork galore and she’ll have to write up a description of the whole event detailing just what she was purchasing and where she was purchasing it from, and there’ll have to be a review of all the evidence…”

Judy made a quiet little strangling noise before quietly uttering the rabbit oath, “Oh sweet cheese and crackers.”

Nick grinned so wide, Judy was certain his muzzle was going to fall off from the strain. “Oh do tell, off duty officer Judith Laverne Hopps _just_ what you were doing when you apprehended the suspect?”

“Nick oh my goodness _shut up_ .” Her ears were burning, now, more pink than grey and quite possibly _on fire_.

“Did she give you the bit about the law never sleeps?” Nick asked Dora, smirking.

“Uh huh.” Dora nodded.

“That’s my Carrots. On-Duty Judy they call her. Best cop on the beat. Never forgets a single detail of an incident. So, Fluff, how’s it going down?”

“I-I-I think there’s been some sort of mistake!” Judy said eventually, blushing. “Dora was just explaining how Charlie here was… was out shopping for…”

“You _sure_ you don’t want to make an official report of your whereabouts and—” Nick began, smirking as he reached for a notebook and an oddly shaped pen that was shaped almost like a—

“Let’s just all stay discreet, here. We’re all adults,” purred Dora. “Her Alpha, Al, few blocks up on Pack Street, can corroborate that it’s all good here. Won’t he, Charlie?”

It was now Charlie’s turn to make a strangled noise. Her tail tried to wrap itself between her legs. “Yeah, Al’ll be cool.” She looked down, mumbling.

“Good! See, nothing to worry about! For your troubles, officer Hopps—”

“ _Off duty_ officer Hopps,” Nick corrected, peering over the top of his aviators.

“—Off duty officer Hopps, of course, I’d like to give you this trial bottle of Tiger Oil. Comes with a little leaflet explaining how it works on the back,” Dora handed Nick a little bottle with a black lid emblazoned with a green and gold eye at the top, “and this complimentary bottle of Loxley’s Liberal Lubricant.”

“Loxley’s, huh? For when you’re Feeling Foxy?” Nick’s grin threatened to warp time and space at this point, and Judy’s blush threatened to ignite the atmosphere. “Does it come in blueberry..? No, you know what, just... come on, Charlie, was it? Time to go. We’ll give you a lift home.”

“Oh, and Judy?” called Dora, as the three left the store, “I’ll give you expedited shipping on that order, now I know how important a mammal it’s for.”

“Sweet cheese and crackers!” hissed Judy again, through her ears, as Nick’s laughter rang out a complement to the doorbell.

***

 _Oh Pelias, everyone’s out here…_ I brushed my clothes down, no use looking like a complete reject when they finally kick you out, eh?

Avo _just happened_ to be lounging on the common area sofa, munching on one of her ever-present lollipops. She was, however, lounging with intent. I could sense the intense scrutiny from her. The twins were, in no particular order, watching the weather channel and reading a book upside down. One of Marty’s, if I wasn’t too far wrong. Marty was absent, as was Al, though Ozzy was cackling away in one corner.

And Charlie, well, apparently Charlie was… under arrest?

“Good afternoon my fine mammals,” began the fox cop, taking his sunglasses off once he was inside out of the sun. “We’re looking for Al?”

“Al’s not here right now, whaddaya want?” barked Betty, from behind me.

“Oh, nothing, we just have a stray we picked up down the road a ways, and we wanted to let Al know she’s safe and sound.”

“Charlie, you scum fuck, what’ve you done this time?” Betty growled under her breath.

“Ma’am, I don’t think that’s appropriate—”

“I’ll take it from here, Betty,” said Al, as he strode in the door after the two foxes and the rabbit. I noticed Marty was loitering outside.

“Whatever,” sniffed Betty. She sat down, back against the wall, tail bristling.

“A little bird told me you’ve had one of mine in the back of your cruiser,” Al said, hands in his pockets, carefully keeping his tail low and non-threatening.

“Yeah, just a little misunderstanding with my _off duty_ partner here,” said the fox. “Name’s Nick.”

“Strange name for a bunny,” sniggered Wolter.

“Heh, yeah, it would be. I’m Nick, She’s Judy. And we’re _both_ off duty right now. Just found Charlie here, she was a little, uh, lost. Brought her home. Dora back at the store—” I watched as the rabbit’s ears turned ever so slightly pink, interesting “—said everything would be cool with you, right?”

“Yeah, everything’s cool. Right, Marty?”

The stoat, Charlie’s roommate, sneaked in behind Al and all but hid behind the tundra wolf’s legs. “Y-yeah, everything’s fine,” replied Marty.

“Marty here was just taking Charlie upstairs, wasn’t he?”

“Y-yeah, sure, Al. Come _on_ , Charlie.”

“So that’s it?” hisses Judy, at Nick.

“Well yeah, you heard Al, Carrots. Fine gentlemammal like Al here knows what’s up.”

“Eh, uh, and, but—”

The rabbit was waving her hands about wildly. The fox just put a paw on her furiously twitching nose and led her aside slightly. “Look, Carrots, this is a… a pack-thing. Do I need to tell Bogo you need a refresher on cultural sensitivity? Al’s her alpha, okay? And Dora’s fine with it, so there’s really no problem, is there?”

Judy glared first at Nick and then around the room at everyone in it. I breathed a sigh of relief as it seemed I was mistaken about the whole ‘sheep conspiracy’ problem meaning the police were out to—

“Hey, Nick?”

I froze. The rabbit’s gaze had locked with mine.

“Hmm?”

“Remember the boss told us to, ah, keep an eye out for, uhm…” The rabbit’s gaze hadn’t left mine all while she’d been speaking. The fox followed her line of sight until he, too, spied my visage. Al, too, took note of the object of their attention. His tail suddenly bristled, flicking to and fro.

Nick’s eyes flicked from mine to Al’s and back again, several times, before settling on the bunny. “Uh, Carrots? Can I… can I have a word with you?”

“What, Nick? What is it?”

The two turned away, talking in hushed, urgent whispers complete with a good degree of gesticulating. I swallowed, heavily, and took a deep breath before taking half a step forwards.

“Don’t move a muscle, yarnball,” snarled Al, over his shoulder. I froze, mid-step. Of course, he’d want to see it through. I looked down at the floor. So long, ugly patina, good luck, disgusting stain that is hopefully coffee, see you never, clashing decor…

“Sir, w-we’ve got a g-general ordinance to be on the lookout for, ah, for certain—”

There was a slap as Nick’s forepaws impacted his face.

“Ain’t nobody here matching the description of any mammal you two fine officers might be looking for,” growled Al.

Yes, of course, he’d want me to… “What?” I spluttered.

“B-but we—” the rabbit tried again.

“I watch the news,” said Al, levelly. He crossed his arms. “And I appreciate everything you did for Zootopia, for us predators. And I can assure you that my entire pack is also very grateful.”

“Your entire pack, huh?” said Nick, raising one eyebrow before taking his aviators out of his breast pocket and putting them on. I looked around the room as all my neighbours, to a mammal, closed ranks. Their gazes hardened, hackles raised. What was happening?

“Yep.” Al’s words were calm, measured. And definitive.

“Well, then, I guess our time here is done. Judy, we’re leaving. _Now_.”

“But…”

“ _Right_ now, Judy. As Al, can I call you Al?”

“That’s m’name,” Al replied noncommittally, eyes narrowing.

“Wonderful. As Al here has patiently explained, his entire pack is _very_ grateful and I’m sure they’ve had a long day worrying for Miss Charlie, so I’m sure they would appreciate having the rest of the evening to unwind rather than explaining down at the station why a certain _off duty_ officer saw fit to interrupt their leisure activities. So, without further ado, we. Are. Leaving. I hear a slice of blueberry pie calling my name, and a certain bunny is going to buy it for me so I forget she was skulking around a sex shop arresting honest customers on her off-hours.”

“But—”

“No buts. Car, now.”

“Does this mean you’ll explain why you’re a movie star that a sex-shop owner knows about, but nobody _else_ does?”

“Only if you’re _very_ good and also buy me ice-cream.”

My jaw fair hit the floor as the pair left the apartment, the fox forcefully escorting the bunny to the cruiser. Two door slams, an enthusiastic engine rev and a squeal of tires later, and showtime was over.

“What just happened?” I bleated, choking back a sob.

Al looked over at Betty, before he gestured outside with his muzzle. Betty snorted, stood up, then gently took hold of my arm.

“What do you think happened, Yarnball?”

“B-but the sheep, a-and Bellweather, a-and—”

“You think we see you as one of those self-righteous grazers, think their shit don’t stink?”

“Er?”

Ozzy cackles. “Woolly Bully, you’re a card and a half.”

“Come on, Yarnball. Time for some fresh air. You’ve gone a bit cuckoo cooped up in that hole.” Betty pushed me across the common area, heading for the door. She led the way outside, into the late afternoon sunlight. I collapsed onto the steps, breathing hard. Al came out a few seconds later with a can of soda.

“You’re part of the pack, muttonchops. I didn’t realize it myself at first, but you’re still here, even after everything. You eat bugburgas, you put up with Avo stealing your lollipops, you put up with Charlie, well, stealing… you’re part of the pack. I’ll… I’ve got places to go, okay? See you Friday.”

 _Oh_.

I watched Al saunter off to wherever he went to when he wasn’t being an Alph… no, when he wasn’t being _my_ Alpha, and I took a hesitant sip of my beverage. I almost didn’t notice when Ozzy set up his lounger and brought out a cooler to mammal-watch with me.

You don’t expect camaraderie from a herd. Herds just kind of… follow along. There is no ‘I’ in team, and all that bull. The point of a herd is to be lost in it. Packs aren’t like that. In a pack, every member is valued. Every member is looked after, important, unique. And packs look after their own.


End file.
